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Corabb Bhilan Thenu'alas
Corabb Bhilan Thenu'alas was an officer in Leoman's company in the Army of the Whirlwind.House of Chains, Dramatis Personae, UK MMPB He was second in command to Leoman during the Seven Cities rebellion led by Sha'ik. Corabb was the sixth son of a deposed chief among the Pardu, and spent most of his life as wanderer, trader, or worse.House of Chains, Chapter 18, US TPB p.466-467 He was extremely lucky during battle, constantly having narrow escapes out of the most hopeless situations.House of Chains, Chapter 18, US TPB p.481House of Chains, Chapter 19, US TPB p.498-499 He preferred axe-like weapons with hafts long enough to grasp with two hands. He disliked bladed weapons whose sharp edge ran all the way to the hilt near his hand.House of Chains, Chapter 19, US SFBC p.635 In his first appearance, he carried a long-hafted weapon that was half sword, half axe.House of Chains, Chapter 18, US SFBC p.616 He wore a necklace made of scarab shells to ward off evil. In times of stress, he would hold a half-dozen of the shells in his mouth.House of Chains, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.758 In House of Chains Corabb had met Leoman when the latter found him being dragged behind the horses of three Gral warriors. Leoman had purchased Corabb and then brought him to be healed by an old tribeswoman. After that, Corabb decided that his loyalty to Leoman would be absolute and was ready to die for the man if need be.House of Chains, Chapter 18, US TPB p.467 He became a fanatical follower of the Whirlwind. After their victory over Coltaine and Pormqual's forces at Aren, Sha'ik Reborn withdrew the Army of the Whirlwind back to the Pan'arak Oasis at Raraku. Leoman chafed at allowing Adjunct Tavore Paran's Malaz 14th Army to advance unmolested towards the Holy Desert. He convinced Sha'ik to allow him to lead 1,500 desert warriors on a scouting mission of the enemy's disposition. Leoman took Corabb with him and had no intentions of honouring his promise not to engage the Malazans.House of Chains, Chapter 13, US SFBC p.479-480 Corabb took part in the resulting ambushes and skirmishes, and experienced a number of miraculous escapes. During a surprise pre-dawn attack on the Malazan camp, Corabb raced his horse through the Malazan tents. Borduke's squad grabbed their crossbows and prepared to fire as one on Corabb, but Maybe fired early, foiling his squad's attack. Corabb was struck across the cheek and knocked from his horse, but was able to remount once the horse finished rolling through a Malazan tent and escape.House of Chains, Chapter 18, US SFBC p.615-617 In a counter-ambush, Corabb was bull rushed and knocked off his feet by Koryk before Cuttle amused himself by leaving a lit Sharper in Corabb's lap. Corabb quickly clamped a helmet over the bomb, bounced into the air with the force of its explosion, and then ran off.House of Chains, Chapter 19, US SFBC p.640-641 Once the Malazan army reached Raraku and the Battle of Raraku neared, Leoman used Corabb to run a message to Sha'ik and Mathok. Corabb quickly discovered that Korbolo Dom's assassins had slain Leoman's previous messengers before they could reach Sha'ik's tent. An enraged Sha'ik sent Corabb back to fetch Leoman to replace Korbolo Dom as commander of her army.House of Chains, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.758-760/768-769 In the aftermath of Sha'ik's death and Korbolo Dom's defeat and capture, Leoman ordered his warriors to flee to Y'Ghatan. Corabb led a score of desert riders acting as the retreat's rearguard. They were pursued by Malazan Lieutenant Ranal and his three squads of Marines. Corabb led Ranal's 4th squad into a sandstorm for cover then turned and ambushed their pursuers. Corabb stumbled into Fiddler in the maelstrom, accidentally pulling free the sapper's entire supply of Moranth munitions and triggering their fuses. Ranal was killed in the huge explosion while Corabb escaped once again.House of Chains,Chapter 26, US SFBC p.835-837/839-842 In The Bonehunters ] After the Battle of Raraku, Leoman, with Corabb as his Second, led the Army of the Apocalypse westward to Y'Ghatan and the 14th Army followed. Leoman slew the Holy Falah'd of Y'Ghatan, installed himself in his place, and named Dunsparrow, captain of the city's Garrison, his Third.The Bonehunters, Chapter 4, US SFBC p.180-182 Corabb, the fanatical idealist, looked to Leoman to bring them a glorious death, although Leoman kept him in the dark on the specifics of his preparations. Corabb quickly grew to hate Dunsparrow, who took a place in Leoman's bed and in his confidences.The Bonehunters, Chapter 6, US SFBC p.223-228 The pursuing Malazan army assaulted Y'Ghatan and swiftly breached the city's walls. When enough Malazans were engaged in street fighting inside the city, Leoman sprung his trap. The city's olive oil-soaked buildings were set alight and the streets quickly became an inferno. As Y'Ghatan burned, Corabb discovered that the panicked Leoman planned to flee for his life with the help of the Queen of Dreams. Leoman cursed Dryjhna and the rebellion, swearing he did not intend to live the rest of his life looking over his shoulder. He offered Corabb the chance to leave as well, but feeling betrayed Corabb refused, insisting on dying gloriously in the name of something greater than himself.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.313-316 During the ensuing chaos, Corabb stumbled on a group of abandoned children inside the Queen of Dream's temple, further cementing his resolve. Corabb, the children, and a few of the 14th Army's soldiers were then trapped inside the temple by the raging fires all around and were forced to try to effect their escape by going underneath the city. During this subterranean odyssey, they were forced to rely on each other in order to survive, with Corabb dragging the gravely wounded Fiddler behind him to safety.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, UK MMPB p.393-447 This, compounded with Leoman's abandonment of his followers, had a profound effect on Corabb as he began to doubt his former loyalties and he renounced fanaticism as a poison of the soul.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.370 As time passed, he came to respect the Malazans, specifically Fiddler's squad, eventually joining them as a heavy. The Queen of Dreams told Leoman that Corabb had been chosen by Oponn, that he was 'Beloved of the Lady', which explained why Corabb was so lucky.The Bonehunters, Chapter 14, UK MMPB p.684 In Reaper's Gale Corabb participated in the Marines' invasion of Letheras, earning the ire of his squad as he collected an excess amount of weapons from fallen soldiers "just in case." He was seconded to Bottle as the mage's personal guard. Corabb stuck close to Tarr, protecting the man's weak side even though it meant disobeying Fiddler's order of guarding Bottle. He had decided to stick to Tarr as long as Bottle did not look to be in immediate danger. Tarr however thought that Corabb was trying to prove himself and outdo Tarr.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 17 In Dust of Dreams Corabb followed the Bonehunter army east, surviving the attack by the K'Chain Nah'ruk. In The Crippled God The once fanatical Corabb was shifted into the combined Marine/Heavy force and, after surviving the trek across the Glass Desert, stood with Fiddler and Hedge's squads as the Crippled God regained his body. As the Kolansii army continued to hammer the company, Corabb stepped into a breach in the lines to protect the Crippled God. Corabb lost his left arm to an axe blow, and was subsequently killed by a sword slash, finally finding his glorious death. Early history Corabb recalled that the village tutor, an old man called Baldy, had told him that he was his worst student ever.The Crippled God, Chapter 20, UK HB p.588 Corabb once tied up the four Gafan brothers, as they had been teasing him, and threatened them with the cookpot. Their father, Grunter Gafan, had shown up to reclaim them and as Corabb's own father, Canarab was still off in the wars, Corabb himself had faced Grunter. The encounter ended with the Grunter's head in the stew pot, likely due to Corabb shoving it in there. Corabb thought that it was the wasted stew which had made his mother cry. Grunter Gafan was eventually killed, sliding under a wagon. Corabb had kicked Grunter in the head a few times either causing the accident or finishing Grunter off and had been put on trial for this. He had told the court in his defence, that no one liked Grunter, which did not help his case and he was condemned to labour in the priest pits where he cut limestone. It was there that he had started listening to stories, especially those telling of freedom and the days before the arrival of the Malazans.The Crippled God, Chapter 20, UK HB p.588/589 Notes and references Category:Bonehunters Category:Males Category:Pardu Category:Soldiers Category:Y'Ghatan survivor (underground)